the Conftitution was founded on the moft liberal principles; allegi ance on the fide of the people, and protection on that of the prince, forming the grand basis thereof. mies of the Proteftant religion, abdicated his throne, and finished his days in exile. Thefe evils were, perhaps, exceeded by direct vifitations from the judgements of the Almighty. Of the Plague, during, William being thus happily pla that Century, died within the Bills of mortality upwards of 150,coo, befides the great numbers it carried off in other parts of the kingdom; and, to complete the diftreffes of the inhabitants of the metropolis, in the year fucceeding this dreadful calamity they faw their city enveloped in flames, and more than 13,000 houfes, with all their public buildings, reduced to athes. Though the nation recovered its character under the Protector and Charles II. and retrieved itself in a great measure from the diftreffes it had fuftained, yet the Romancatholic religion was making fure, though imperceptible, progrefs among the higher ranks of fociety during the reign of the latter; and which became to be fo openly avowed under the indirect authority of his fucceffor, that it proved the downfal of himfelf and of the caufe which he in reality heartily efroused. Thus fituated was the kingdom when William was called to the throne. And though it may be extending this digrellion, (perhaps already too long,) yet I truft iny readers will pardon me, as a brief recapitulation of this reign will be elucidatory of many of the tranfactions which occurred in the fucceeding Century. The eftates of the kingdom being affembled under the name of the Convention, declared the throne vacant by the king's abdication; and an offer of the crown being made to the Prince and Princefs of Orange, it was accepted, and they were proclaimed King and Queen, of Great Britain, &c. by the names of William and Mary, on Feb. 13, 1688-9. Though they were called by the voice of the people to the government of thefe kingdoms, yet I ced on the throne, gave his affent to a bill for fecuring the rights and liberties of the people, on the clearest and most advantageous foundation; and having (prior to this) abolished the hearth-money, and paffed an act of toleration in behalf of the Diffenters, rendered himself exceedingly popular to the majority of his fubjects. Thought the Revolution was thus peaceably eftablished in Great Britain, except in the fingle inftance of the Duke of Gordon retaining Edinburgh caftle, and the effort made by Lord Dundee in the Highlands, yet Ireland, being chiefly poffeffed by Catholicks, ftill remained faithful in its allegiance to James. And it was not till after three active campaigns, in the fecond of which the king commanded in perion, and even the famous battle of the Boyne, that it was reduced to obedience. Though this battle determined the fate of James, who imrediately retired to Dublin, and from thence to France, yet it was purchased at a great expence by William, in the lofs of the venerable and brave Duke of Schomberg, fecond, perhaps, to none of the generals of his age, and fuperior to moft in the private duties of a man and a Chriftian; and in the intrepid and perfevering Walker, a clergyman, who fo gallantly directed the unparalleled defence of Londonderry against the whole army of the late monarch. In the next campaign, the laft effort of King James and the French, being fruftrated by the activity of Gen. Ginckel and others, particularly at the battle of Aghrim, their army defeated, and all their ftrong holds reduced, Ireland quietly fubmitted to the government of King William. T. MOT, F. S. M. (To be continued) Mr. I Mr. URBAN, Slavifion, Jan. I. MAKE no apology for troubling you with the following lines, as the fubject of them is a piece of curious and rich Antiquity; a fubject which you, by your ufeful and wide-fpreading Mifcellany, are always ready to communicate to the publick in general, and your Antiquarian correfpondents in particular. (See Plate III. fig. 1). The fubject is a large and rich broche, or buckle, which was found about five or fix years ago, with fome human bones, in digging for gravel, fomewhere between Hufbands Bofworth (co. Leicester) and Welford (co. Northampton); but in which lordthip, I know not. However, I inclofe a correct drawing of the fame, coloured as it now appears. But, as the colours cannot be fhewn in your plate, I will fubjoin a faithful defcription of the whole for the fatisfaction of your Antiquarian friends; hoping that fome of them will favour me, in a future Number, with their conjectures upon it; as to the time fuch ornaments were worn; in what manner; by what degree of perfons; or whatever elfe on the fubject may occur to their minds, and does not at this time occur to me. It appears to have been found in (or very near) the route of the haity retreat of part of King Charles the Firft's army to Leicester, after its defeat in Nafeby field, June 14, 1645. Whether it belonged to fome of the officers or fuite of that ill-fated monarch or not, I dare not determine; but I am inclined to think it to be of a much earlier date. This, perhaps, may be afcertained by fome of your learned correfpondents in a future Magazine, after I have given a defeription of the ornament in queftion. I, therefore, proceed. The under part of the broche confifts of one entire circular thin plate of filver, its diameter 2 inches, with a circular hole in its centre of an inch in diameter, GENT. MAG. February, 1800, On this plate lie two nearly femi- weights, weights, and the filver 5 pennyweights 12 grains. Yours, &c. I Mr. URBAN, J. TAILBY. Jan. 2. N the great inclosures which have taken place of late years in the county of Lincoln, little or no attention has been paid to the means of religious improvement. Houses have been fcattered up and down, without confidering whether the inhabitants could ever have an opportunity of attending the public fervice of their God. The fact is, that hundreds of people, who live on the farms of the inclofed fens, never fee the infide of a church, nor have any communication with the Clergy. I will not take up your time by endeavouring to point out to you how much the interests of Religion and Morality fuffer on this account, because it must be obvious to you and every body. The only thing now to be done is, to endeavour to remedy this evil for the future; and as it is generally fuppofed that other great inclofures are about to take place in that extenfive county, I have fent you a fketch of a village (fig. 2), many of which I could with to fee completed on Wildmore and other fens. It would certainly add much to the comfort and happiness of the villagers thus i xxx ; the minifter furrounded by his parishioners, and the parishioners within a reasonable diftance of the church. They would be inclined, I thould hope, to have proper intercourfe with each other, and, by mutual good offices, to promote benevolence and fympathy. The cottagers alfo, by being brought nearer to the centre, inftead of being, as they generally are, carried to the outskirts of the parifh, would live more under the eye of the minifter, and enable him so assist them with more readinefs, either humanely or officially. If the plan fhould feem feasible, you will oblige me by inferting it in your valuable Mifcellany." A, church and church-yard. B, minifter's house, with garden and a few acres of ground. C, cottages, with gardens and a fmall portion of ground annexed. D, Portions of land, containing each about 50 acres, and belonging to their respective occupiers, inhabiting each his farm-house. E, farm-houses, fituated in fuch a manner that each is in the centre of his ground, and none at so great a diftance but that may have ready communication with their minifter and with each other. Beyond the letter E, the grounds of each farmer are to run to the boundary of the parish. E. R. Mr. URBAN, TH Perth, Jan. 4. THE annexed fketch (fig. 3) is a reprefentation of the infcription on a ftone lately found in the porch of a gentleman's feat near Comrie, upper part of Strathearn, Perthfhire. To decypher its character, or to difcover to what æra it belongs, has hitherto baffled all who have feen it *. The house where this ftone was found is in the immediate neighbourhood of the plain of Dalganrofs, a Roman ftation. Gordon, in his Itinerarium Septentrionale, and Gen. Roy's late publication, may be confulted. The former contends that the battle between Agricola and Galgacus was fought here; the latter maintains an oppofite opinion. The parish church is alfo in the vicinity. Of what nation this ftone is a monument fome of your learned correfpondents may be able to determine. The houfe in which it was found was built in 1661; and as, from its fize, the ftone formed a lintel, it has been used as fuch ever fince, without any regard to *It is probably only part of a tombstone from fome church. The first word may be dne, for domine; but the rest must depend on knowing what antient families were buried here and in the neighbourhood in the 14th or 15th centuries. The account of the path in the Statistical Account of Scotland, XI. 178, furnishes no light. Evi. its |